New Beginning

A little over a year ago I was presented with some news that changed my life. Now, it's not nearly as drastic as what most people might think on hearing such words, but I it has changed how I look at my life, and how I am living it currently. After having a routine blood check, I was informed that I had a low blood cell count. I didn't really know what it meant, but my doctor suggested I take some iron supplements. I did so, and had my blood checked again in about a month. The results came back, and I still ended up having a low blood cell count, but this time they showed signs of having plenty of iron. I still didn't know what that meant for me (except that it probably wasn't the best), and my doctor asked me to get a few more tests to determine the real cause. I continued with my life as usual for the next couple of weeks, until the doctor got back to me with the results. He informed me that I had hypothyroidism, and I should see a doctor as soon as possible. He had taken the liberty to contact one he knew and get me an appointment later in the week. I reluctantly agreed to go, not understanding why it was so necessary to go to a doctor so soon. After all, I was able to walk for almost an hour to my job at the time, no worse for wear.

The day arrived, and I headed to the doctors, hoping that it wouldn't take too long as I still needed to get to work later in the day. I did the customary wait for 30 minutes past your appointment time, and then was admitted to another room to wait another 15 for the doctor. Finally she came in, and started to ask me a few questions about how I felt, while perusing my medical chart. As I always do, I gave the non-committal 'I'm feeling fine' answer; I didn't feel any worse than a normal day. While I was responding, giving a slight shrug to complement my vague answer, the doctor's eyes grew wide and she blurted out words you never want to hear a doctor say; "Oh shit.".

I suppose I should have grasped the seriousness of my situation at this time, but I wasn't really paying attention and didn't piece together what the doctor had said. The next words however, got my attention a little more. "How are you even functioning?!" I gave a small chuckle and shrug, not really sure how to provide an answer I thought obvious. I was alive wasn't I? Wouldn't that mean that I was functioning? The doctor proceeded to explain to me exactly what the condition was and what symptoms might accompany it.

Some of the main symptoms included difficulty to focus or think, feeling cold, slow metabolism, fatigue, and numerous others (apparently the thyroid is a pretty big deal). The doctor asked if I had difficulty in school, or at work which I easily replied, 'No, I did well in school', and 'No, I'm doing fine at work' (not that my work was that intensive at the time). I commented that I did feel like I wasn't able to do as much as I felt I should, like I couldn't keep up with the people around me. I also would get could hands or feet often, even in the summer.

I finished my appointment with more rounds of blood tests, to which I would learn of the results in a few days. Even with the knowledge of my condition and what the symptoms were, I still did not really know what it would mean. The doctor told me that I'd have to take a pill for the rest of my life, a simple supplement to provide my body with the thyroid hormone it couldn't produce. Other than that, I figured my life would be pretty much the same. After the results came in, my doctor pointed them out to me, including how far off they were from normal results (they were quite staggering). I was given a prescription, and started to take the pill every morning. Thus began the rest of my life....